Ronaldinho swaps prison for 'hotel arrest'

Retired Brazilian football player Ronaldinho arrives at a hotel in Asuncion where he and his brother will serve house arrest after a judge ordered their release from jail on April 7, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

The Brazilian football icon Ronaldinho has been bailed out of a Paraguayan jail and placed under house arrest at a luxury hotel in downtown Asuncion while awaiting for his trial.

After spending 32 days behind bars on charges of using false passports to enter Paraguay, two-time world player of the year Ronaldinho posted a 1.6 million dollar bail through his lawyers to get him and his brother out of the prison, yet they must remain at house arrest.

The brothers had been previously denied bail because authorities deemed the pair to be a flight risk.

A Paraguayan judge said on Tuesday there was no reason to keep the brothers in custody given their huge bail payment, thus he granted them permission to move into a four-star hotel in Asuncion where Ronaldinho and his brother are allowed to receive visits, while awaiting their trial.

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